This is a blog series in which I tell you about random things I recommend you try – and they aren’t often ami related! Actually, this post is very food and drink oriented…I must have been hungry when I wrote it!

Universal Yums

My parents’ gift to my husband this past Christmas was a subscription to the monthly box Universal Yums. If you know someone who loves to try new foods (especially snacks) and travelling, this is a great gift!

Each month, they send you a fun box filled with snack foods (salty and sweet) from a particular country, and each month features a different country. Our first box in December was for the UK – and we got some pretty neat treats! I have been to the UK several times, and there were still items I had never seen before or tried.

Also included in each package is a fun little booklet that not only describes each item in the box (in a rather humorous way), but also includes fun facts and games about the country. At the end of the booklet, they also include a clue for what the next country will be.

You can find out more about the different subscription options, as well as what their past countries and goodies were on their website. They are based in the US, but do ship to other countries, including Canada.

David’s Tea nordic mugs

I love my tea time, and good tea isn’t complete without a great mug! I LOVE my nordic mug from David’s Tea. It is huge, comes with a great metal infuser that fits right inside, and has a really nice handle to hold (really, really, nice).

Each season David’s Tea (a Montreal based company!) introduces new designs for their signature mugs – it is always fun to see what they come up with next. Mine is one that changes colour when you pour hot water into it – changing each hot air balloon from a dark purple to a rainbow of colour.

My favourite current design is the one with the school of fish, that also changes colour. They also have some neat ones that you can draw on so you can design your own mug!

While you are shopping there, I also of course recommend their great teas, too!

Actifry

If you love fried food but are trying to eat more healthy (it is January, the month of resolutions!), then I recommend getting an Actifry by T-fal. This hand dandy appliance allows you to fry a bunch of crispy french fries using only 1 tablespoon of oil. The fries do indeed come out nice and crispy (especially if you choose a kind of potato that works well for fries), plus, you get to decide which oil to use and how much, unlike those pre-fried frozen variety.

Now I can’t lie, this machine is not cheap (we were lucky enough to get it as a gift), but I still think it is worth it. Not only can you make french fries, but also regular stir-fry, kale chips (my favourite), carrot fries (oh man – so good), etc. You can find recipes on the website for a variety of foods. I love how I can put all my veggies in it and just walk away and do something else while my dinner cooks, unlike cooking on the stove top. The machine does all the stirring for you (it has a an attachment that goes around and around the pan slowly, mixing things up), so you can just leave it and let it do its thing. Easy!